Walks
by MysticBluAngel
Summary: He feels alone all the time. His mother passed soon after finding out the truth about her son and now, he has nothing to tie him to Ningenkai...right? KB oneshot!


**Walks**

**Disclaimer**

I do not own YYH.

Summary

Kurama's POV.

He feels alone all the time. His mother passed soon after finding out the truth about her son and now, he has nothing to tie to him to Ningenkai...right?

**XXX**

I felt so stupid. I had told myself so many times that she would leave me if I told her. I wasn't far from the truth. She distanced herself from me until the end. As I stood at her grave, my mind flashed me back to the most memorable moments of my life. She had always been there for me. I would never have grown into the man I was if not for her.

"Shuuichi..." Someone settled their hand on my shoulder and I looked over, a small smile set in place on my lips. The young woman's eyes widened at the expression. She obviously didn't think I could smile on such an occasion. "Are you all right?" I pulled out of her grasp and nodded, nothing but calm and serenity in my expression.

"I am fine, Botan." She looked upset. Deeply upset. So, she had been the one to guide my mother. How fitting. "Do not feel guilty. You merely did your job." She made a move to protest but I stopped her by holding up my hand. "She wouldn't want me to be upset. Knowing her, if I were, she would haunt me because of it. I only hope she had a smooth departure?" The deity nodded slowly.

"Koenma-sama placed her in the correct spot. Right where she belongs."

"I wonder..." She gave me a puzzled look. "Okaasan always did love angels. I wonder if she's happy that she is one now..."

"She loved you until the end. She felt terrible for the way things turned out in the end." I smiled and shook my head.

"She did nothing that I did not deserve. I lied to her. Even if she did love me, I knew what I had done. I know that she would've preferred not to know but...I couldn't let things go like that." My voice was as emotionless as it always was. I could tell that my words upset her. I was never good at consolation, anyway.

"Kurama..." I chuckled at her tone.

"Don't feel pity or sadness for me. Now I can do what I've always wanted to do. Live without care, without worry, that those I love will be harmed." I turned and walked down the muddy pathway. My new shoes would be ruined... Oh well. It wasn't like I would be wearing them again, anyway. Makai wasn't suited to dress shoes. "I suppose I won't see you around." She made no sound as I walked away from her. I had been doing that frequently. I walked away.

**XXX**

_**"Shuuichi! Don't pour the flour that way!" Before she could utter another word or before she could stop me, the flour poured into the bowl. My face burned and I looked up at her with wide, scared eyes. I had ruined her cake for my school. She merely began to laugh as she looked at me with shining brown eyes. "Come here. Let me clean you up." I had no idea that I'd gotten flour dust all over my face and in my hair. She wet the dish cloth and began to clean my face.**_

_**"I'm sorry, okaasan." All I could think of was the waste of the ingredients.**_

_**"It's no problem, darling. Just go and study and I'll finish up here, okay?" I nodded and went up to my room, curling up on my bed. I didn't need to study. I knew the material. But I didn't know how humans cooked. I didn't know about the complexity of culinary tasks. I never had to know.**_

_**'That was a pretty stupid thing to do.' Youko's voice haunted the human side of our body, which just happened to be me, Shuuichi.**_

_**"Shut up..." I whispered, anger beginning to take control of my mind. I could remember the first time that Youko had contacted me. It had been only a year since. I had gotten angry with bullies from school but I was pretty defenseless against their physical advantages. He'd contacted me and taught me how to master basic Reiki.**_

_**'Don't be a baby. You're merely pouting.'**_

_**"I said shut up!" I covered my mouth and looked fearfully at the door. Had okaasan heard me? No, she couldn't have.**_

_**'You needn't talk out loud to me, brat.' The kitsune snarled. I felt a jolt of fear spike through my body. He couldn't do anything but I wouldn't put it past him. 'Just speak in your mind. Thinking, only not out loud.'**_

_**'Like this?' I queried, hoping I did it right so he didn't get another opportunity to make fun of me.**_

_**'Exactly.' He was such a nasty demon. I wished several times that he didn't share a body with me. Often, I wondered what would become of me when he got stronger and was able to control our body. 'I plan on leaving this dump and returning to my home.'**_

_**'You can't do that!' I protested fruitlessly. He would never listen to me.**_

_**'I can...and I will.'**_

I woke up, feeling the warmth of sunlight on my face. How I would miss the sunlight... It was the reason Youko tolerated humans for so long. However, we had been speaking less and less to each other. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing but it made me nervous sometimes. I knew that, as I continued to take the potion of Suzuka's, Youko and I would continue to become one. Then, our personalities would be completely fused and I would probably be able to transform on my own.

"Time to continue packing..." I was only taking a few things with me to Makai but I wouldn't leave all of okaasan's things behind. They would be stored in Reikai, courtesy of Koenma. As I wrapped picture frames in bubble wrap and newspaper, my mind drifted through the memories. Like the time we went to the carnival and my uncle had gotten sick from one of the rides so there was only half of him in the picture...

"I figured you'd still be here." Looking up, I smiled slightly at him as he walked into the house. "Need some help? Keiko called me and told me that she'd be down in a bit."

"Really, you needn't help me. I can do just fine on my own, Yuusuke." The teen shook his head at me and grinned, looking down at a half-wrapped picture. He bent and picked it up, moving the bubble wrap away from it. His expression was solemn for a moment before he looked back up at me.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" His voice was quiet and it made me feel like withdrawing into my ice fortress for a while. I resisted quite nicely, however.

"I am fine. You should know by now that I can handle things like this." He wrapped the picture and set it in the box before stepping closer. I stared at him wearily.

"I know you can but...this was the woman that you would have given your life for. This was the woman you spent twenty years of your life with." I sighed. Indeed, I was twenty and those years had been wonderful. But the last year had been difficult.

"I know. There was a lot that I have thought about. I was prepared for this day. Now, if you want to help me, then you can finish up the kitchen while I finish up in here." He stared at me a moment, thinking my words over before going into the kitchen.

**XXX**

Keiko, Kuwabara, and Yukina arrived to help. Shizuru called to say she couldn't come because she had work.

"Thank you all for helping me." I said as we finished up for the day. "I appreciate it." After they had left, I prepared for another night of rest in the human world, Ningenkai. Only a few precious days left to remain in the sunlight...

_'You are an idiot. Sunlight is all that this world has.'_ Youko wanted badly to go back to Makai. It was a set plan that we were going back, anyway. I wouldn't change it. I had nothing left of my life in Ningenkai.

_'I am not an idiot. I know all about it. We're going back soon. Just a few more days to settle things.'_ Koenma said that everyone would take care of my disappearance. All they really had to say was that I moved far away to go to college or some other idiotic excuse like that. As I began to stack things neatly, I heard a knock at the door. Upon opening the door, I found Botan standing there.

"Kurama... I've come to take some of your things up tonight. The others said that you packed quite a bit." She smiled as I stepped aside and let her in. I closed the door behind her and chuckled.

"They were quite the helpers. Thank goodness for Yukina and Keiko...otherwise Yuusuke and Kuwabara would've just fooled around." I offered her a cup of tea and she accepted. We had always been quite close. The deity was one of my closest friends, after Hiei, of course.

"I see that you have done a lot. Still a few days to go, right?" I nodded. She bent down next to a box as I filled the kettle and set it on the stove. "Are the cups packed away?"

"Not all of them. They're in the cupboard behind you, if you would kindly get them out." She wordlessly stood and turned around. I could hear her open the cupboard door before closing it again moments later. "I had to leave some out. You know how I am with tea." She laughed. How delighted I was to hear that sound...

"Just like Hiei and _sweet snow_!" I chuckled before hearing the whistle of the kettle behind me. I turned off the stove and she brought the cups closer to me. "Y'know, when you leave, things won't be the same. I've come to enjoy our time together."

"Botan..." She shook her head and sighed. "You know I must go. It isn't something to be debated on."

"I understand that. Perfectly." She watched as I added the herbs to our cups. "What I don't understand is how you're doing it so early..."

"I will admit, it is early. However, I had planned on leaving once I was able to leave everything behind. You know that." My voice was soft. I couldn't be hard on her because of the way she was. She was always so sensitive. She took her cup when I finished stirring it before taking a sip. "I will try to make the year reunions."

"But I want to see you more than just once a year!" Her outburst startled the both of us, that much I could tell. "We...were becoming so close." She was close to tears. I could see how hard it was for her to hold back long enough to continue talking. "I'll miss you so much." I sighed.

"I will miss you, as well, Botan-chan. You know how I feel about leaving. But I cannot abandon my responsibility." She set her cup down before walking over to me and wrapping her arms around me. I found it hard to resist so I chose not to. I returned her embrace before doing something so foolish that I should've kicked myself to stop it. "I promise that I will come as often as I can." She looked up with a small smile on her face. Once again, I found resistance. I wanted badly to do something...but it seemed so impolite.

"Good." She whispered softly as she leaned up to kiss my cheek. Before she could reach my cheek, however, I turned my head so that her lips brushed my own. She pulled back in surprise and a brilliant flush tainted the ivory color of her skin. "K-Kurama..." I leaned down and captured her lips again, this time finding that she held no resistance. She leaned into me, pressing against me for reassurance.

"Will you come to see me?" She stared up at me with wide eyes. She was scared. I pulled her as close as I could and waited for her answer.

"As often as I can... Will you come here, as well?" I knew that it wouldn't be for a little while. I had to settle my own disputes and get readjusted to my territory.

"As soon as things calm down over there." I promised. "You know that I-" She placed a delicate finger over my lips, stopping me from speaking. It was obvious she didn't want my words to be spoken.

"I love you, Kurama. You are all I care about." I was speechless as she held me, engulfing me in a tender embrace that I had not experienced since I was a child. "I don't care if it endangers me. I believe in you and Hiei and the others. None of you would ever let me come to harm."

"Botan-" Again, she cut me off. Only, it was with a look rather than with her finger. I sighed and gave in to her. "I love you, as well. Just don't...readily endanger yourself." She laughed as she leaned her head back, her cerulean curls bouncing. I smiled at her before pulling her back up and claiming her pink lips.

It was then that I realized, for the first time in my existance, that my heart was pounding.

**XXX**

Had it really been that long...? My reflection rippled, my eyes changing from amber to emerald. I had found my place. It was where it had always been. I turned at the sound of high-pitched laughter.

"Hiei, what are you doing?" I gave him an odd stare as he glared at me, baring fangs that seemed to only grow longer as time progressed. Perhaps I was to blame for his excessive use of those fangs... He always liked to bite my head off when he got in his _moods_. My wife and mate was tangled in his arms, her amethyst eyes shining with mirth.

"Kura-kun, he isn't being fair!" She laughed as Hiei once more attempted to drop her. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't drop her, Hiei. It could damage-"

"That's your own fault, kitsune." My koorime friend snapped irritably. "If you weren't such a blasted idiot..." Botan let an angry flush grace her ever-beautiful face as she pinched his arm. "Onna! Keep that up and you'll not only fall but you'll tumble down that hill and into the water!" She only laughed at his threats.

"What are you two doing here, anyway? I thought I told you to stay behind..." Botan decided to get down and Hiei held no argument as he readily let go of her as soon as she was balanced. Setting her hands on her hips, she frowned down at me.

"I wanted to pay my respects, too, y'know!" The cemetery had been quiet and I hadn't known they were even there. "Besides, I wanted to get out of the house. How easy do you think this is, getting Hiei to agree to carry my everywhere?" I chuckled at her, smiling at the sight before me. She was four months along into our first child but she would never cease to follow me on my many walks. I rarely ever drove, preferring to walk. I loved the quiet serenity around me. The secluded area in the park was always the best place for that. Ningenkai was a place that I could hardly leave for long. As intended, I had left but only for a year before I gave my territory over to Hiei. He had chosen to remain there anyway and I hadn't wanted to be away from Botan very long. But he came to visit me, as well as his sister, a lot and inform me on what was going on so that my mind was at ease.

"Kitsune, I'll be going back in a couple of days." He had finally decided that he would spend a few days with me and then leave for a week or two before repeating the process.

"That's fine. Thank you for coming, my friend." His crimson eyes narrowed at me before centering their gaze on my mate.

"Are you ready to leave him alone now? I'll be there with you and so will my sister and her brats. Come on." I smiled as they took off, going back to my place. Yukina was supposed to visit today with her set of twins. They were quite a pair; a boy and a girl. Both had their mother's features but never even took a feature from their father, Kuwabara Kazuma. He was away on a mission with Yuusuke to Makai or some other nonsense. I rarely ever got involved with Reikai unless Koenma was down to visit his late ferry girl. Botan had chosen me and therefore had asked that she be granted life. However, she still remained valuable to the team, having lost none of her knowledge of the three worlds or its inhabitants. As for me, I had chosen my beloved over my territory and had decided to become a doctor. I had finished college and had become a dedicated physician.

I suppose I was never happier. Even Youko, who was now one with me, was satisfied with life. And...he even got to enjoy the walks in the sun until the end of days.

**XXX**

_I wanted to write another KB. I hope I haven't lost my touch with this lovely couple! Let me know what you think!_

_I know it was only a oneshot but I liked it a lot. It was quite a bit of fun to write and it was quite the challenge since I am so used to HB now..._

_Still, I will always love this couple even though I hardly write them anymore._


End file.
